As I look out the window and hear the morning rush hour, it struck me. That was my life for 6 years: waking up earlier than I want to, rushing to get out the door, and fighting traffic to get to work. I never thought I would say this, but I miss that life.

I’ve been job searching for the last month or so. While I’ve kept myself busy with working on Cubicle Chic, taking care of some important personal business (changing my last name has NOT been fun), reading profusely, and taking a lot of online courses, there are times when I catch myself feeling frustrated with how long it’s taken me to get back into Corporate America.

 This romper is $48 from ShopTheMint and I wear a size small!

I talk to friends and family about it, and they re-assure me that with my credential and experience, it’s only a matter of time and that I should be more patient.

But when it’s 10:30AM, and I’m staring at LinkedIn, Glassdoor.com, and even Craiglist and all the job applications I’ve sent out, it’s hard not to wonder “Now what? What else do I do?” Inevitably, frustration sets in because I feel like I have done everything I could, and I’m still not where I need to be.

To distract myself from this type of negative thinking and the world of despair it often downward spirals into, I started to engage myself in activities that take my mind off things but still feel productive.

1) Create a career mind map (Thank you Cultivitae)!

Are you on the right track with your career? A break from employment might just be the perfect time to figure out whether you are maximizing your potential, or if you have all the skills required to find your dream job. It’s an exercise that helps you look in the mirror at your professional self, find clarity, and identify areas for opportunities.

 This romper is $48 from ShopTheMint and I wear a size small!

2) Connect with more like-minded professionals/individuals.

• Hop on Career Contessa, where career advice, mentorship opportunities, and industry professionals that will help make you more hire-able in your job search.
• Find groups like Professional Networking & Career Advice Group
• If you’re a creative, check out events like Creative Mornings

3) READ.

Any reading, if it relaxes you and helps take your mind from the job search process, is highly encouraged. Plus, it gives you material to talk about when you go networking! For me, I like to read books where I find inspiration and learn things. Here are 3 books that I’ve read recently that helped keep my spirits up:

Rachel Cruze’s “Love Your Life, Not Theirs” [see a great review here]

This is a book about how to clean up your financial life. Rachel is personal finance Guru Dave Ramsey’s daughter. In this book, she teaches you 7 money habits to win with money.

When you are unemployed, the last thing you need to do is to be loose with money. I have been relatively comfortable in my situation because I am debt free, and my husband is happy to support me (for now at least, lol!).

This book also offers great advice on how to be content with what you have, and not be swayed by what we see in social media.

J. Kelly Hoey’s “Build Your Dream Network” [I’m going to try to review this book next week]

One of the best career-related books I’ve read recently. No humble bragging, and with Hoey’s credential and accomplishment, it’s amazing how modest of a voice she writes with. She transformed what I understand “networking” to be, to mean, and how to go about it. It’s a must-read for those of us who know we need to get better at networking but dread the idea of having to do it!

Marina Keegan’s “The Opposite of Loneliness” [see a great review here]

As a writer, I mean I cringe as I call myself a writer after reading this book, but I was deeply inspired by the 9 short stories and Marina’s personal story. Like a shooting star, this Yale graduate’s death was untimely and premature, but she behind her splendid work that the rest of us will admire for eternity.

It’s a must-read if you’re looking for short but brilliantly written essays about life, relationship, and everything in between.

4) Take an online course. For free!

Develop or hone in on skills that you always wanted to work on but never had the time to. Take an online class like what I’ve been doing: Udemy’s Writing with Impact: Writing that Persuades. I’m half way through this course now, I must say it’s transforming the way I write already.

A few other ones that I am intrigued to take: The Strategy of Content Marketing, U.S. History (I know, random, but I love learning things I think I know a lot about but most likely don’t!), Hamlet’s Ghost (offered by Harvard University) … to name a few!

 This romper is $48 from ShopTheMint and I wear a size small!

5) Locate your local library and sign up today!

Why? Because the library is any American citizen’s best treasure! If you’ve paid tax to the city you’ve lived in, you probably have contributed to the maintenance of a library. Take advantage of it! Not to mention that books, magazines, a lot of DVDs/movies, Wi-Fi, and AC are all FREE. I now routinely check out books I want to read from the library first, go through them, and if I love them as much as I thought I would, then and only then I buy them from Amazon.

Carve out 3-5 hours a day to go to the library, and submit all your job application when you are there! This is incredible for those of us during a job search. It helps us stay focused and creates a line between “work” and life.

 This romper is $48 from ShopTheMint and I wear a size small!

6) Go to networking events and make new connections.

For a person who draws energy from her groups and community, spending a lot of time alone never benefits me in the long run. It’s important to schedule time in your day to go out, meet new people who are perhaps also in their job search mode. I take conscious effort to find local events where I can meet with other creative and marketing professionals. The next event I’m trying to go to will be Creative Mornings in San Diego.

Do you know someone who’s currently searching for a new job? Share this post with them. I hope it will help them the same way it’s helped me!

All photography by Natalie Alvarado @ Stylenfuse

The post How To Stay Motivated During A Longer Than Expected Job Search appeared first on Cubicle Chic.

I didn’t share this openly on my social media channels, so this may come as a surprise to many of you. I was in a major car accident just about 11 days after our wedding in March. I totaled my car, my most favorite car in the world, probably ever, that I’d just paid off about 3 months before. The car title is still sitting in my drawer, fresh and winkle-free.

It was a pretty bad wreck. All my airbags popped, front and sideways.  In that moment of impact, when I saw the car in front of me merge abruptly into my lane without signal, I thought this was going to be it. Like, the end of it all. I stopped traffic on the freeway completely (during rush hour in the morning, no less) and it turned out to be a 5 car collision. Thanks to the grace of God, no one was injured in a major way, and the ambulances/cops came within minutes. And because it wasn’t my fault, I received a check for the damages to my car within a couple of weeks from my insurance company. So there are a few silver linings in this unfortunate incident since I’ll be getting a new car soon.

Needless to say, the accident brought a lot of new perspectives to my thinking this past month. The way I think about my life, the balance between spiritual fullness and material possession, the love I have for my family, the need to have a “job” that pays well and also fulfills me personally… all of these things, when my perspectives have shifted, became easier to put value on and prioritize.  Here are a few  ways that this car accident had changed my thinking:

 Dress: Garden Stroll Maxi Dress Cream in Small, $30

1) Being debt-free has obvious perks. But I didn’t know it could turn a curse into a blessing. 

Being currently unemployed and getting into a major car accident together sounds like a surefire way to put my life in absolute misery. And it very easily could’ve. But thanks to Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, my husband and I have become debt-free just a few months back. So while I was devastated that my precious A5 had been totaled, I wasn’t necessarily worried about my livelihood being jeopardized. I knew with our savings we could replace my car easily (because I wouldn’t be buying a brand new car anyway and a used card is much cheaper), even without the reimbursement check from the insurance company. The check from the insurance company felt like a gift from the universe.

 Dress: Garden Stroll Maxi Dress Cream in Small, $30

2) I’d never thought about how I’d like to be “handled” if I ceased to exist today. I’d want my loved ones to be comforted in knowing that they’d be doing the right things for me.

This thought crossed my head as I stood on the shoulder of a busy Tuesday morning CA-15 high way, my gaze fixed upon my terribly wrecked car parked on the side of the freeway: If I died today, how would I want to be buried, where would I want to be buried, and how would I want my family to dress me? The absurdity of these thoughts caught on very quickly, but the questions still irk at me. It’s not something I’d thought about, like ever. I suppose most people don’t think about morbid things like this on a daily basis. Perhaps older people have their life time to think about it, sick people have the time they lay in the bed to think about it. I never had to …but now I’m going to.

3) Spend time with your family and loved ones, because you just don’t know how much time you have.

I am so glad we decided to spend time with family right after the wedding instead of going on a honeymoon. The truth is, beautiful beaches and snow covered hills are always going to be there, but we don’t get to see our beloved families all the time. In the few hours right after the car accident, I remember having this thought that I wouldn’t leave the world without a lot of regret because I’d just seen all my loved ones and had the best time with everyone. What more can you ask in life, really?

 Dress: Garden Stroll Maxi Dress Cream in Small, $30 Bag: Gucci Marmont Camera Shoulder Bag Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff Gladiator sandals; similar here and here (Shutz…on sale for $62!)

4) Do what you love. If you don’t know what you love, figure it out. 

This has more or less been my life philosophy so far. But ever since the accident, it hasn’t been clearer. From now on, I know I would write more, travel more, get in touch with people I care about more (even when they act like they don’t have time for me), read more, and hug my cats more (as if it’s possible). I am so glad this incident happened during the time of my job hunt, because it has steered me in a direction where I didn’t know I was leaning toward. If I was to cease to be today, I don’t want to be stuck at a something I hate where I devote 50% of my waking hours to. It’s not worth it.

 Dress: Garden Stroll Maxi Dress Cream in Small, $30 Bag: Gucci Marmont Camera Shoulder Bag Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff Gladiator sandals; similar here and here (Shutz…on sale for $62!)

Overall, I am just grateful to be alive and healthy. I am so grateful for everything I have in life, and I know that I am blessed to be in the position where I am. I am glad I get to be searching for a job, to have a platform to express my thoughts with you guys, and to have the opportunity to help people in whatever little ways I can. I am grateful for you!

 Dress: Garden Stroll Maxi Dress Cream in Small, $30 Bag: Gucci Marmont Camera Shoulder Bag Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff Gladiator sandals; similar here and here (Shutz…on sale for $62!)

Disclaimer: Thank you Mint Julep Boutique for sponsoring my outfit in this post!

All photography by Natalie Alvarado @ Stylenfuse

The post Practice Gratitude || What a Major Car Accident Taught Me appeared first on Cubicle Chic.